Kings at Sharks: What bettors need to know

The sixth-seeded San Jose Sharks return to the safe haven of HP Pavilion with hopes of stretching their Western Conference second-round series to the limit as they host the Pacific Division-rival Los Angeles Kings in Game 6 on Sunday. San Jose has yet to lose at home this postseason, winning all four contests - including two in this matchup. It will have to continue that trend as it trails 3-2 after being shut out for the second time in the series on Thursday.

The Sharks dropped the first two games of the series and were a goal away from falling into a 3-0 hole, but Logan Couture scored a power-play goal in overtime for a 2-1 victory in Game 3. Another 2-1 home triumph on Tuesday evened the series, but the reigning Stanley Cup champions dominated the first two periods of Game 5 and Jonathan Quick was impenetrable en route to his league-leading third shutout of the playoffs. The victory extended Los Angeles' home winning streak to 13 games - including all six in the postseason. The Kings will need to find a way to win on the road in order to avoid a decisive seventh game at Staples Center on Tuesday, as they are just 1-4 away from home.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS

ABOUT THE KINGS: Quick is making a bid to repeat as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as, in addition to shutouts, he leads the league in goals-against average (1.50) and save percentage (.948) and shares the top spot in victories with seven. "He's awesome," center Trevor Lewis said. "He's our MVP. He's our best player. He probably makes it look easy out there, but he does a lot for us." Anze Kopitar's goal in Game 5, which opened the scoring and proved to be the winner, was just his second in his last 27 contests dating back to March 25, when he tallied against Chicago. The Slovenian admitted the drought was getting to him. "It's a little bit on my mind," Kopitar said. "If I get on the board, it's a little more relieving for me. Now it's a matter of doing it over and over again." Jarret Stoll, who suffered a head injury in Game 1 on a hit that earned San Jose's Raffi Torres a suspension, skated briefly on Friday but is nowhere near returning.

ABOUT THE SHARKS: Coach Todd McLellan downplayed Quick's performance in Game 5, instead criticizing the effort by his own team. "I didn't think we tested (Quick) a lot," McLellan said. "There are a number of goalies in the league that could have performed that way. Maybe his best save was his last one, but other than that, he didn't have to work hard." Couture agreed that San Jose did not put forth its best effort. "Myself included, we were bad," he said. "That's why we lost. We're not going to win if our best players are not our best players. We need to step up." Right wing Adam Burish could return to the lineup for Game 6 as he reportedly skated on the fourth line during Saturday's practice. "He is very close and he may be an option," McLellan told the San Jose Mercury News. Burish has been sidelined since suffering a hand injury in Game 4 of the first-round series against Vancouver.

TRENDS:

* Kings are 1-10 in their last 11 road games.* Under is 6-0-2 in Kings’ last eight road games.* Under is 4-1 in Sharks’ last five overall.OVERTIME

1. The Kings were dominant on the road last postseason, winning their first 10 away from home before dropping Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final in New Jersey.

With playoff implications on the line, expect tight, low-scoring game between these two teams with hot goaltenders...

My free play is on Florida/Boston Under at 7:00 ET.

Boston has rebounded from a six-game losing streak by winning two games in a row after its 2-1 win in Carolina on Sunday. The Bruins return home where the Bruins are holding their opponents to only 2.3 goals per game which is a bit better than their 2.6 goals per game that they are giving up overall this season. Much of this improved play keeping the puck out of the net needs to be credited to goaltender Tuukka Rask who has been outstanding in front of his home fans this season. Rask owns a strong 2.04 goals against average along with a sizzling .930 save percentage when at home. The Bruins are clinging to the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt three points ahead of Ottawa and four points ahead of this Panthers team so the stakes remain very high for this veteran team. Rask may very well be playing his better goaltending at this point of the season as well. In his previous 12 starts this month, Rask has a 2.15 goals against average along with a .932 save percentage.

Florida has won four of its last six games as the Panthers make a late push to make the playoffs with their 4-2 win in Ottawa on Sunday. The Panthers stay on the road for this contest where they have seen the under go 7-3-3 in their last 13 contests away from home. The under is also 9-2-1 in their last 12 trips to Boston to face their Atlantic Division rivals. Florida's improved play as of late has much to do with the team’s improved play on defense as Florida is allowing only 2.2 goals per game over the last five games which is a significant improvement over its 2.7 goals per game seasonal average. Goaltender Roberto Luongo shook off a slow start this season to be the goalie the Panthers were hoping he would be when acquiring him in the offseason. Luongo has a 2.33 goals against average along with a .921 save percentage this year. Luongo has also heated up for Florida's playoff chase late this season as he owns a red hot 1.79 goals against average along with a .932 save percentage in his six starts this month. With playoff implications on the line, expect tight, low-scoring game between these two teams with hot goaltenders. Take the under.

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